Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-11

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

Some people think that it’s a good idea to socialise with work colleagues during evenings and weekends. Other people think it’s important to keep working life completely separate from social life.

Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Student answer (Band 6.0)

It is often debatable whether socialising with work colleagues is reasonable. Some people think it is inappropriate. This essay talks about both views, followed by my own opinion at the end.

On the one hand, socialising with peers builds a sense of belonging and team coordination. This is fruitful because it harmonises relationships. For instance, inviting each other to red-letter days like birthday parties, etc. Hence, it gives you a sense of connectivity that is visible when you work together, as you understand well.

On the other hand, hanging out with work buddies compromises work ethics. It impacts professionalism and conduct in the office. For instance, if a manager and Front desk staff go out for dinner together, it would be difficult for them to stay respectful on the office premises. As a result, it sacrifices a strong professional commitment.

In my opinion, it is inappropriate because it blurs professional boundaries. For instance, when you become too personal with coworkers, it is difficult to distinguish personal and professional boundaries. Hence, impacting overall productivity.

Moreover, it leads to favouritism. Your personal relationships impact workplace conduct. To illustrate, a close relationship with a manager can lead to fast promotion compared to eligible ones. As a result, others start to feel excluded or receive preferential treatment in the office.

To conclude, it is important to meet and greet each other to some extent, like office gatherings, but above and beyond that, it breaches a lot of workplace ethics, conduct and overall business. This leads to imbalance as peers start to feel excluded and complain about favouritism in the workplace.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, discussing both views and providing a clear personal opinion. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. While the arguments regarding team coordination and professional boundaries are relevant, they are presented in a rather brief manner. The essay would benefit from more detailed explanations or more nuanced examples to fully explore the implications of the topic. The conclusion is a bit repetitive, restating points already made rather than synthesising the argument effectively. Overall, the response is relevant but lacks the depth required for a higher band score.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organised with a clear progression of ideas. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the different viewpoints and the personal opinion. Cohesive devices such as 'On the one hand', 'On the other hand', and 'Moreover' are used to guide the reader through the argument. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and the referencing within sentences could be smoother. For instance, the link between the example of the manager and the conclusion about 'professional commitment' is a bit abrupt. Overall, the structure is coherent and easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the writer to express their ideas clearly. There are some attempts at using more sophisticated collocations like 'professional boundaries' and 'work ethics'. However, the range is somewhat limited, and there is a reliance on simpler phrasing. Some word choices are slightly imprecise, such as 'red-letter days' which is an idiom that does not quite fit the context of casual office socialising. Improving the variety and precision of vocabulary would help elevate the response.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is always clear, there are recurring grammatical issues, such as sentence fragments (e.g., 'Hence, impacting overall productivity') and minor punctuation errors. The control of complex structures is inconsistent; some sentences are well-formed, while others feel slightly disjointed. Despite these errors, they do not impede communication. To reach a higher band, the student should focus on ensuring all sentences are complete and improving the accuracy of complex sentence construction.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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